Geostationary satellites are in fact in a ring around the equator. No other orbit would keep them stationary in the sky. Geosynchronous orbits are orbits at th

Geostationary satellites are in fact in a ring around the equator. No other orbit would keep them stationary in the sky. Geosynchronous orbits are orbits at the same altitude, but not necessarily aligned with the equator. Most of what I know about orbital mechanics I learned from Kerbal Space Program, but given that it's very expensive to change orbital inclination, I would be shocked if geosynchronous satellites were returned to a flat inclination before being disposed of.